Description:It is the morning of June 6, 1944. Operation Overload has finally begun on the beaches of Normandy and the fate of Europe lies on your shoulders. In honor of the 60th anniversary of D-Day, this new Axis and Allies variant allows you to once again re-play history. Will you be the allied forces or take the axis as Germany? An extra large game board, new pieces and tactics cards add depth and complexity to this challenging WWII recreation game.

Good game, more basic than regular Axis and AlliesAxis & Allies: D-Day Edition is a great game that keeps many of the game mechanics from the other Axis & Allies (A&A) games--infantry still defend at 2 but attack at 1, tanks still move 2 spaces, artillery is back in full force.

However, the game design overall is more simple. There are no longer IPC's--you instead have a determined amount of reinforcments of each type of unit rather than purchasing units of your choice. You no longer conquer territories and "mark" them--if you have units in a territory, then you control it; if you don't have units there, then you don't control it. Air units can move as far as they want, so you don't have to worry about having enough move points to land. Furthermore, there is only one front to fight on, so the map is more basic as well.

However, you should not view such simplifications negatively as steps backwards. Rather, look at it in one of three ways:

1] Players who are completely new to Axis and Allies will enjoy the straight-foward gameplay of D-Day and will probably be eager to look into the more complex versions of A&A. Starting off with, say, A&A: Europe as opposed to D-Day may intimidate someone from ever wanting to play Axis and Allies again. My dad wasn't interested in learning to play traditional A&A out of fear that it would be too much for him; however, he has gladly taken interest in the simpler D-Day.

2] For veteran players, D-Day will offer a faster-paced, stream-lined version of Axis and Allies. Sometimes you just might not be in the mood to use 110% of your brain power playing a board game. D-Day will help make things easier on your brain without insulting your intelligence at the same time. In fact, you still have to think hard to play this game!

3] D-Day is designed for two players (although 3 can play). Sometimes you don't have 4 or 5 people to play traditional A&A with, and 2 players can make a game of A&A less exciting. Therefore, D-Day is perfect for those looking for Axis and Allies action when they are only 2 or 3 players involved.

My only complaints: There are no plastic chips to help count multiple units. So if you have 5 infantry, you will have five individual infantry pieces rather than 1 infantry piece stacked on four chips. This can make the board cluttered. Not only that, but the board and the reinforcemant charts (where you keep the units that aren't in play) are highly susceptible to board shaking, so if you play this game, TAKE CARE NOT TO BUMP into the board or the reinforcement charts, or you WILL be left with a huge mess! Lastly, the instruction manual is vague at times, so be sure to check Avalon Hill's website and read the FAQ's for rule clarifications.--Chris F. from Massachusetts

...great new game format...For a new generation, a great new game format, of a classic wargame(based on Milton Bradley's orginal GameMaster Series), nice job guys!--ED from Yauco